Case Study

Student teams review a written study of a real-life scenario containing a field-related problem situation. These “cases” usually include a brief history of how the situation developed and present a dilemma that a key character within the scenario is facing. Team members apply course concepts to identify and evaluate alternative approaches to solving the problem. Although case studies originated in the fields of business, law, and medicine, they are now used in many disciplines.

1. Form student groups and distribute identical or different cases to each team.
2. Allow time for students to ask questions about the process they are use to clarify the problem presented in the case.
3. Students work in groups (anywhere from one class session to a few weeks, depending upon the complexity of the assignment) to study the case in depth from the protagonist’s point of view and to become familiar with the issues and decision options.
4. Students sort out factual data, apply analytic tools, articulate issues, reflect on their relevant experience, draw conclusions, and recommend actions that resolve the dilemma or solve the problem in the case. McKeachie (2002, p.200 suggests the following questions to guide students in their approach to the case:
   • What is the problem?
   • What might have caused the problem?
   • What evidence can be gathered to support or discount any of the hypotheses?
   • What conclusions can be drawn? What recommendations?
5. Sometimes students prepare a written or oral statement describing their assessment of the case, the decision options as they see them, and their recommendations for a decision.
6. Students discuss the cases with the entire class as the teacher debriefs on the experience. If the case really occurred, students will want to know what happened, so be prepared to share this with them after they have reported and to allow a few more minutes for discussion of what actually transpired.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfJ-Mk2g1NY
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-b0H0fDU4w

• http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/cases/index.html
• http://www.bu.edu/ceit/teaching-resources/using-case-studies-to-teach/
• http://www.hbs.edu/teaching/case-method-in-practice/sample-class.html
• http://hbsp.harvard.edu/multimedia/pcl/pcl_1/1/index.html